Effect of winter foliar application of urea on some quantitative and qualitative characters of flower and fruit set of orange cv Valencia

Abstract: Yield of fruit tree is determined primarily by flowering intensity and subsequent fruit set. Flower number and fruit set are also influenced by endogenous nitrogen level. This research was concerned with the effect of winter foliar application of urea on flowering and fruit-set of 30-year-old 'Valencia' orange on sour orange rootstock at Safiabad Agricultural Research Center of Dezful. Treatments included urea foliar application at 3 levels (0, 0.5, 1%) and 2 times of application (6 and 9 weeks before full bloom). The experimental design was a factorial randomize complete block with 4 replications. Nitrogen percentage in leaf, flower number, ovary diameter and fruit set were studied. Results showed that winter application of urea increased the level of N for 2 weeks. Different levels of urea increased the number of flowers, ovary diameter and fruit set. The higher concentration of urea (1%) had more effect. Considering the time of application, urea spray 9 weeks before full bloom had the highest effect on flowering but urea spray 6 weeks before full bloom resulted in higher ovary diameter and fruit set.